


What's Your Poison?

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [24]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 18:51:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17534309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Jack gestured for her to go into the kitchen and as he followed, he couldn’t help but let his gaze wander. He had never seen the captain out of her BDUs or combat gear and he decided that she had a nice figure. He knew that already though, as a flashback of their first meeting entered his mind, but seeing her dressed in civvies, in his home, seemed to reinforce the thought tenfold.





	What's Your Poison?

**Author's Note:**

> Some of these holidays are so _blinking_ hard to write (and it probably shows, I’m sorry!) 
> 
> Written for ‘Beer Can Appreciation Day’, 24 January. Set sometime during season 1 – whenever our fab four are most likely to have had their first team night at Jack’s house.

“What’s the difference?”

“What’s the difference?” Jack repeated slowly. _“Everything!”_

“I doubt that very much.”

“Just trust me on this one, Daniel. There’s a difference.”

“Beer is beer, Jack,” he explained, as if he was talking to a small child. “It’ll still taste the same.”

The colonel’s eyes widened at the audacity of his friend’s statement and he waved a finger in his direction. “And you call yourself cultured,” he muttered.

With a heaved sigh, Daniel crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared. “Then enlighten me, because I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“I – you – oy.”

When the archaeologist shrugged in response, Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the kitchen and towards the back yard.

“Look, I appreciate your contribution to team night,” he said earnestly. “But when have you ever seen me drink beer out of a can?”

“Uh –”

With a slight shake of his head, Jack reached back, grabbed one of the cans and placed it onto Daniel’s hand. “Here, you can enjoy the first one.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and headed into the yard to where Teal’c was standing guard over the BBQ. At the sight of his two teammates, Jack couldn’t help but grin. It hadn’t been easy; from getting to know and trust each other, coping with the loss of Sha’re, Skaara and Kawalsky, to trying to figure out just what exactly they were doing in the universe, it had been a tough few weeks for them all, but he felt like they were finally starting to settle down into a routine and becoming a team. And despite a couple of small hiccups – like Captain Carter’s kidnapping on Simarka – they had already proved that they could work well together, and Jack knew it wouldn’t be long before they were great together. He could feel it in his gut. This was going to be the best, most unconventional team he ever had the privilege of commanding.

A light knock on the front door pulled him from his thoughts.

“Carter,” he said with an easy smile as he opened the door, before he stepped aside to let her in. “Glad you could make it.”

“Thank you, sir,” she smiled.

He gestured for her to go into the kitchen and as he followed, he couldn’t help but let his gaze wander. He had never seen the captain out of her BDUs or combat gear and he decided that she had a nice figure. He knew that already though, as a flashback of their first meeting entered his mind, but seeing her dressed in civvies, in his home, seemed to reinforce the thought tenfold.

He forced his eyes upwards just as Sam turned around and he realized that she was probably waiting for him to speak or do something. It was the first time she’d been to his home and from the set in her shoulders, he could tell that she wasn’t quite at ease. As he thought of something to say to break the tension, Sam beat him to it.

“I know you said not to bring anything, sir, but –” She held out a six-pack of beer. “My dad always said it was rude to turn up to somebody’s home empty handed.”

Jack took the drinks from her – _beer in bottles_ , he noted – and regarded her closely.

“I find it hard to believe that I’d ever find you rude, captain.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips and Jack wondered if he could make her smile like that again. He quickly dismissed the thought, set the bottles on the worktop and leaned his hands on either side.

“For future reference, Sam –” he saw her brief nod and continued. “I’m a man of my word. So, if I say you don’t need to bring anything – you don’t need to bring anything. Having said that,” he added as he slid a glance to the brand she’d brought. “One can never have too much beer, and I like this kind, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

He tried not to focus on how she seemed relieved at his words. “Daniel and Teal’c are out back,” he offered as he made his way to the refrigerator. “I’m just going to grab the meat.”

“Do you need a hand, sir?”

“No. You’re my guest, Carter. Mi casa es su casa, et cetera,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Living room is down the stairs, and you get to the yard from there. Bathroom is down the end of the hall, first door on the right. Help yourself to drinks, and if you need anything else, just ask.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Ah. That reminds me,” he said as he nudged the refrigerator door shut with his foot and turned to face her. “Think you can cut back on that for just one evening?”

She frowned. “Sir?”

“The ‘sir’ thing. Despite my well-known propensity for following orders and regulations… I try not to uphold that viewpoint at home,” he quipped. He watched Sam as she processed the information and he felt his lips twist into a smirk. “You can call me Jack,” he clarified.

“Oh.”

He hesitated slightly at her reaction. “Is that a problem?”

“No, sir – ah – sorry, si –” She stopped abruptly and took a deep breath before she offered him a smile. “I just… never mind.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I… I’m not used to spending my free time in the company of my commanding officer, and –”

“If it makes you uncomfortable –”

“No, it’s not that, sir. It’ll just – take me a while to get used to.”

“In case you haven’t noticed by now, Carter – I’m not your typical commanding officer.”

“I’d noticed.”

“So,” he hedged as he set the plates he’d been holding down and gestured between them. “We good?”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded quickly, then winced at his pointed look. “Sorry, habit.”

“Yes, well,” he drawled as he picked the plates back up and gestured for her to follow.

He waited until he’d stepped onto the deck and glanced over his shoulder. “Take a seat, Sam.”

At his words, both Daniel and Teal’c turned around.

“Captain Carter, it is good to see you,” Teal’c said solemnly, while Daniel stood, said hello and gave her a quick hug.

Jack watched their interaction with interest. He’d noticed his two eggheads had bonded almost immediately after meeting on Abydos and they seemed quite close. Not that there was anything else going on beneath the surface, Jack told himself. Daniel was still besotted with Sha’re, and Sam – well, he didn’t really know what Sam’s relationship status was. Not that it was any of his business.

He decided to let his team catch up while he grabbed himself a drink, only to notice that Carter didn’t have one either. He gently tapped her shoulder with the back of his hand.

“You want a drink?”

“Whatever you’re having is good.”

He cast a glance at the can of beer that rested on the table and grimaced.

“Perhaps you’d best come and look for yourself.”

When he heard her light footsteps behind him, he said, “I’m having a beer.”

“That’s fine, sir.”

_“Ah!”_

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

He briefly thought about cracking open the beer she’d brought but then opted for Daniel’s choice instead, because the sooner it was shared out between them all, the sooner it would be gone from his house. He held one of the cans out to Sam and she slowly reached forward.

“Carter?” He caught the puzzled look on her face as she glanced between him and the can. “You asked for beer, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing, sir.”

_“Carter.”_

She hesitated and Jack could virtually hear her arguing with herself over whether to say anything. A part of him was intrigued, but when Sam then bit down on her bottom lip, Jack didn’t expect the flutter that stirred in his stomach at the sight. He straightened and quickly set his beer down on the counter.

“Spit it out, Captain.”

She grimaced. “Well, sir – with all due respect – you don’t seem like the kind of guy who drinks beer from a can.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise at Sam’s words, but he wasn’t quite sure what he expected her to say either.

“I’m not,” he eventually answered. “Daniel also brought something for our team night,” he added at her questioning look.

“Does Daniel drink beer from a can?”

“He does today.”

“Right.”

“Do you think there’s a difference?” He suddenly asked, but found he didn’t need to elaborate on the question.

“Yes, sir.”

 _“Thank you!”_ He grinned as Sam tried – and failed – to hide her amusement.

“I’m guessing Daniel disagrees.”

“Yep. So,” he said as he leaned back against the worktop. “What’s your poison?”

“Bottle. Every time.”

With an approving nod, he gestured for the can.

“My kind of woman,” he shot back with an easy grin.

His head was already in the refrigerator as he grabbed two bottles from the shelf, so it was only when he heard Sam’s light gasp that he realized what he’d said and froze.

With a wince, he counted to five and slowly turned to find his captain had turned an interesting shade of red and was resolutely avoiding his gaze.

“I didn’t mean – I –”

“It’s fine, sir,” she interrupted, but her smile was tense and the relaxed atmosphere from moments earlier had vanished. “I know what you meant.”

He nodded idly. “Oh. Well, good.” He frowned then and briefly thought about asking her what, exactly, he’d meant because he didn’t have a clue.

He popped the caps off the bottles and handed her one of them. They took the first few sips in awkward silence.

“So,” he hedged. “Why bottles?”

“I like the taste better,” she shrugged. “And –”

“And,” he repeated when she failed to continue.

“And it’s nothing, sir.”

The blush has returned to the captain’s face which told Jack all he needed to know.

“Captain?”

“It’s... really trivial, sir.”

“Color me curious,” he shrugged as he shoved his free hand into the pocket of his jeans.

He was more than curious. For some unexplainable reason, he had to know what had her so flustered.

“OK,” Sam replied slowly. “I just… there’s just something about men who drink beer from a bottle.”

_“Excuse me?”_

He isn’t mad. In fact, he actually found her admission far more amusing than he probably should. It was also the last thing he expected his straight laced, by-the-book captain to admit.

“I mean – I – I find men who drink beer from bottles to be more – attractive. Sir.”

He can’t hide his smirk, at either her confession or the deep red blush on her face. She is clearly mortified by what she just admitted but Jack isn’t completely stupid and he isn’t sure what to say that won’t get him into trouble later, so he decided to say nothing and take a drink instead – only to stop when he sees Sam trace his movements.

A soft curse escaped her lips before she quickly averted her gaze.

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t mean to say I find you attractive – I mean you are – well, I –”

For the second time in as many minutes, Jack felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and it – alongside Sam’s babbling – took him by surprise. His eyebrows shot towards his hairline as he choked on the gulp of beer he’d just taken, and he forced himself to wave away her help when she moved to his side.

“Are you OK, sir?”

He swiped at his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Silence fell between the two officers and Sam shuffled nervously. “Um, sir? Do you… do you think we could just forget those last couple of minutes ever happened?”

He regarded her carefully. A part of him _really_ wanted to tease her more about it, but the almost desperate look on her face made him stop. He may be an ass at times, but if Sam asked him to ignore it, he would. Well, he wouldn’t mention it in public at least, but he’d _definitely_ be revisiting the conversation in his head.

He grinned as he pushed himself away from the worktop.

“Why don’t you head back out to the guys? I’m just going to grab us more drinks.”

A long breath escaped Sam and she gave him a half-smile, her eyes never leaving his. “Thank you, sir.”

With that, she turned and headed out of the kitchen. Jack watched her leave, his gaze falling lower before he realized what he was doing. He quickly gave himself a shake and grabbed a handful of drinks, but when he caught sight of Sam’s half-empty beer on the counter, he smiled to himself.

His captain has surprised him again. It was a skill she seemed to be getting quite good at, which was impressive in itself as it usually took a lot to surprise Jack O’Neill. She was still a mystery though; there so much about her that he didn’t know yet. He had only been able to catch the odd insight – like the moment in his kitchen – into that side of Sam’s life, but it suddenly didn't feel… _enough_.

It had left him wanting more and as he set the drinks down on the table by the BBQ, he cast a quick glance at his teammate before he turned his attention to the grill.

He was suddenly determined to get to know that side of Sam much better.


End file.
